Congressman Tom Marino resigns, leaving vacancy in Pa.’s 12th district

Congressman Tom Marino, R-Williamsport, announced his resignation from the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday.

In a statement, he said he would be officially stepping down Wednesday, Jan. 23.

“Having spent over two decades serving the public, I have chosen to take a position in the private sector where I can use both my legal and business experience to create jobs around the nation,” he said in the statement. “I want to thank the people of the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania for the faith they have placed in me to represent them in Congress. It truly has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I worked in Congress to fight for the hardworking people of our region and I am proud of the work we have accomplished. I am confident that the area will continue to thrive.”

Marino served in the House of Representatives since 2010, winning re-election four times — most recently in the 2018 Congressional election, where he defeated Democratic challenger Marc Friedenberg of Ferguson Township.

In 2017, Marino was President Trump’s pick for drug czar, but asked Trump to withdraw his nomination following a Washington Post/“60 Minutes” joint report about the opioid bill he sponsored that was said to be hindering the Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to fight opioid abuse.

Before his tenure in Congress, Marino served as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and District Attorney of Lycoming County.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s press secretary, J.J. Abbott, tweeted that Wolf has 10 days from Marino’s resignation this Wednesday to “issue writ for special election.” That election, he said, must be at least 60 days from when the writ is issued. Party committees are responsible for selecting candidates to run.

This story was originally published January 17, 2019 at 12:44 PM.